Motor vehicle emission showed toxic effects on seed germination and seedling growth of Peltophorum pterocarpum ex . Germination and growth of P. pterocarpum seeds were significantly (P < ) affected in the seeds collected from the polluted areas as compared to the less polluted areas. | Turk J Bot 31 (2007) 565-570 © TÜB‹TAK Research Note Germination and Seedling Behaviours of Seeds of Peltophorum pterocarpum Ex Growing under Motor Vehicle Emission Muhammad SHAFIQ*, Muhammad Zafar IQBAL Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 - PAKISTAN Received: Accepted: Abstract: Motor vehicle emission showed toxic effects on seed germination and seedling growth of Peltophorum pterocarpum ex . Germination and growth of P. pterocarpum seeds were significantly (P < ) affected in the seeds collected from the polluted areas as compared to the less polluted areas. A higher percentage of decrease in seed germination was found for the seeds collected from the extremely polluted area, followed by very much polluted, polluted, and a little polluted areas as compared to the unpolluted area (control). Seedling and root lengths were also highly decreased for the seeds of the same species collected from the extremely polluted area as compared to the control. A high percentage of seedling dry weight was found for the seeds of the same species collected from the extremely polluted area (62%), followed by very much polluted area (58%), polluted area (38%), and a little polluted area (28%) as compared to the control. According to the tolerance test, seedling growth of P. pterocarpum showed the lowest percentage of tolerance in the samples collected from the extremely polluted area (53%), followed by very much polluted area (71%), polluted area (89%), and a little polluted area (92%) as compared to the campus. Key Words: Germination, growth, roadside tree, urban areas, vehicular emission Introduction Peltophorum pterocarpum ex is a moderate sized, well-shaped evergreen tree with a dense crown. It is a native to South India. The tree grows fairly rapidly and is easy to cultivate. This tree is largely planted for ornamental purposes along roadsides. Roadside trees in cities .
